Lattice file format #4
Description
@PaulGoslawski @MichaelMAB2020 @tomerten
Problem:
To leverage multiple simulation tools we have to generate lattice files in different formats.
Solution 1: Maintain different formats by hand
This can become very tedious, especially if we have tens or hundreds of different lattice files. This could also be error-prone. I think the only advantage is, that we don't have to write any custom software.
Solution 2: Generate different lattice files automatically
Decide on one main lattice file format. This file format will be the ground of truth format. This requires the files to be clean (no markers, simulation-tool specific attributes/variables), because otherwise it is very difficult to convert to other formats.
To make lattice-development more convenient, we could than provide some template files, where markers or other utility elements are automatically injected.
I would propose to go with the LatticeJSON format, because it will be the easiest way to generate other lattice files. It is much harder to parse stuff than generating stuff! If you don't I think it is a good idea to use a custom file format, my second-favorite approach would be to agree on a restricted subset of the MADX format (no variables, only basic elements)